Taking Charge of Your Destiny to Succeed: Challenges and Triumphs

Taking Charge of Your Destiny to Succeed: Challenges and Triumphs recounts the remarkable life of a man who overcame profound hardship, from childhood poverty, abuse, and the early loss of his mother in Iran to rising as a successful professor, department chair, entrepreneur, and philanthropist in the United States. Drawing inspiration from leaders like Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, and Stephen Hawking, he illustrates how education, perseverance, and determination can propel individuals beyond even the most difficult circumstances.

Through vivid storytelling, the author highlights the transformative power of resilience, the impact of kindness, and the responsibility to uplift others, shaped in part by compassionate figures he met throughout his life, including an Iranian Jewish lawyer who taught him the importance of "Random Acts of Kindness." More than a memoir, the book serves as a motivational guide, encouraging readers to turn adversity into opportunity through self-discipline, commitment, hard work, and a positive mindset.

Mehdi Khosrow-Pour is currently CEO of IGI Global Scientific Publishing headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in New York City and Beijing, China. He is also the President of eContent Pro (a company of MKP Technologies), and serves as the Executive Director of the World Forgotten Children Foundation, a charitable organization focused on supporting children with physical and mental disabilities and underprivileged communities worldwide. Prior to his current roles, Dr. Khosrow-Pour was a Professor and Chair of the Department of Information Systems at Penn State University for nearly 20 years. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Miami, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Florida Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems (MS CIS) from the University of Miami, and a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) with a concentration in Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has served as the editor-in-chief of the world-renowned Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology since 2002 and is currently working on its seventh edition, a ten-volume set and is also editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Modern Artificial Intelligence, a five-volume set. Additionally, he has served as editor of numerous other books and journals on all aspects of information systems and authored more than 100 research papers. He is married to Olga Khosrow-Pour, and they have two sons together: Darius (8 years old) and Cyrus (5 years old). In the Khosrow-Pour household, they say the boys are handsome, mommy is beautiful, and daddy is simply lucky!